I've been watching EastEnders for so many years now, and I don't think it's ever been in such a dire state as it is, and has been for about a year now, in any other point in its history. I'll spend a little time in this blog post explaining why I think this...
Before I start, though, I should probably note that the use of the word "dire" here is in no way meant to suggest that the reason why EastEnders is dire is because of Dyer... Danny's one of the best things about the show right now. I'll get to him later.
Where did it all go wrong?
So. There is a general opinion that things started to go wrong when the previous producer, Sean O'Connor took over, and there was talk amongst the residents of the square about how bad the bin collections were. There was much wailing about why such trivial things as the bins could possibly be worth mentioning the the square.
However, I disagree with this; whilst the bin collections were never ever going to be a main plotline, talk of them added a bit of a sense of realism to event in the square; making it appear like any other place in the country. It was a touch of kitchen sink realism that help root the Square in the real world. The bins were background detail; not main plots.
I think the point where it all went wrong was when Roxy and Ronnie drowned in the swimming pool.
It's all too easy to kill of characters in soaps, and generally I'm of the opinion that it should only be done when there's a major plot point to be made from the death, or the nature of the character is that they just would never up and leave the life they are leading. With Ronnie & Roxy, it was just a sensationalist way to get these characters out of the show. And I groaned.
Contrast this with the Lucy Beale death; that had huge repercussions for various characters in the square; not only the Beales themselves, but the Brannings also. Especially Max (more of whom, later). The mystery of who killed her, the eventual framing of Max, his time in jail, and his subsequent revenge plot... whether you liked that or not, it had impact; it was followed through.
Ronnie's death admittedly made Jack in to a single dad... Roxy...? Meh...
And it went bad from there...
Behind the scenes hoo-ha
There has been all sorts of talk about behind the scenes issues. There are rumours that early last year the BBC was so unimpressed with one week's episodes that these four were edited down to just a single episode. This is not a surprise as there was a disjointed feeling to episodes late winter/early spring of last year.
This was compounded by the bus crash week of episodes; the suggestion is that this week of episodes was intended to air later than it actually aired, but BBC higher ups insisted it be brought forward. This caused all sorts of continuity hiccups, as (for example) one week Martin's badly injured under the bus, and the next he's back on his market stall as if nothing had happened. Curiously, there was also no sign of damage to the bridge the bus hit in to, or any hint of repairs being made.
Over the summer, the show mostly coasted, and eventually Sean O'Connor left, being replaced by John Yorke. All would be well in the world... surely?
Sadly not.
Hitting the reset button
It's clear that as soon as Yorke arrived on the scene he swiftly set about curtailing any of O'Connor's plotlines he wasn't keen on as soon as was possible, and without taking logic in to consideration at all.
So, Michelle's stalker plotline, building for months, is over in a single episode with a few threats from some of her friends, and all of a sudden... he's gone.
Ditto, the plotline with Bex and her teacher and the "love triangle" with her mum... one quick wrap up episode, and he's gone.
The question of Jay's parentage... done away with in a 30 second conversation with Max...
...and Max... oh, Max. When he returned to the square, we were promised a long, slow burning, revenge plot from him. O'Connor clearly had a masterplan for this, but as soon as he left, Yorke set to undoing all the damage Max and his Weyland friends had inflicted on the square. This didn't take a single episode, as it involved sorting out the chip shop, Queen Vic, the cafe, the launderette, and the car lot; but it was all brought to a head with hasty speed. Max cut off, James laughing like a comic book villain, Luke being bundled in to the back of a van never to be seen again... and... and...
And the final tie-up of the plotline was quite dreadful with James Wilmott-Brown essentially saying "oh, if anyone were to get access to that safe, it contains everything they need to bring me and Weyland down completely, and scupper all my plans for Albert Square"... by the end of the episode, just that had happened.
It gets worse
Still, at least all this clearing out of the dead wood would mean that things can only get better, surely...?
No...
Enter Aidan. Aka JP.
His plan to rope various of the Square's residents in to some kind of criminal job initially showed promise... until it happened. It seemed largely to be played for laughs, with Mick being locked in to the Vic, then getting to where he needed to be in his slippers...
...and lets not forget that the location the van was actually robbed in was right outside the Arches. Phil Mitchell's Arches. One of Aidan's robbers. Robbers who all had their faces covered to hide their identities. Except Aiden. Striding around, wielding his cane, barking orders. It was a fiasco.
In the aftermath we've had the tedium of where the money ended up. Who stole it. And... oh, I'm struggling to find the words to actually give a toss about this. Which is rather similar to most of the gang who haven't even mentioned that they're missing out on their cut of the robbery for weeks now.
I should probably also mention Halfwit, the ring, and Lady Di. But it's just so stupid.
But Aidan... since the robbery he seems to have grown in stature from being someone Phil was banged up with to a major crime kingpin in the EastEnd. From menacing Vincent - who really needs to grow a pair - to running drugs in the Vic, it seems he's a major player. (When he was revealed as the drug runner's boss, I actually laughed out loud, it was so ludicrous.)
The problem is, we never had the build up to this, so it doesn't seem real. Johnny Allen would have eaten him for breakfast. He was a proper East End villain.
This plotline has also, somehow, brought Melanie Owen back in to the square. Great actress, but she's wasted here. And her personality vacuum of a son... well, we might care about how she lied to you about how great a man Steve Owen was, but in your third episode (or second? we'd barely seen him) it really has no impact at all.
EastEnders is sinking fast. And it's frustrating as amongst the rubbish there's still some absolutely brilliant things...
Max Branning
Frankly, Jake Wood is the best actor in the show right now, and every time he's on screen it's electric. It's so gutting that Max's revenge plotline was cut short, at the point it was really just getting going.
I mentioned earlier that I didn't like it when characters are killed for the sake of it, and I stand by that; but Wood's performances as Max after Abbie fell from the roof of the Vic, and eventually died, were electric.
My recent highlights of the show have been the fleetingly brief moments he's shared the screen with Tanya (Jo Joyner); were I in charge of EastEnders I'd be doing all I could to get Joyner back in the show permanently, or at least for a much longer stint, as the pair of them together is just absolute TV gold.
The Carters
I love the Carters. Danny Dyer is absolutely in his element as the landlord of the Queen Vic. When he first got the role, he said he's like to do a 20 stretch in this role, and I hope he get his wish. Kellie Bright complements him perfectly as his Mrs, Linda.
His mother Shirley is the fly in the ointment, and is gloriously sarcastic. She saw through Fi long before anyone else.
The extended family is great fun too; I'm still hoping for the return of Annette Badland's Aunt Babe, but I fear her bridges are burned. Timothy West's all too brief run as Stan was a highlight, also.
The Taylors
I also really like the Taylors. They're an archetypical soap "bad" family like Carol Jackson and her brood before her, and like the Battersbys in Coronation Street. Karen is a really endearing character with potential, and her kids are a decent brood with many opportunities. I hope we see her sister again soon.
So, what can be done...?
Firstly, get rid of Aidan. The actor playing him is brilliant, but the character just isn't working. Having said that, it seems almost certain that they're lining up a "who killed Aidan?" plot, with multiple possible killers. Mick. Vincent. That dreadful Ciara. Mel.
Secondly make sure that Max has decent plotlines going forward; remember, Jake Wood is the best actor in the show. Give him strong material and the show will go from strength to strength. Jo Joyner back more will also help. Any time they are on the screen...
Thirdly, do decent things with the Taylors. I'm really like the Bernadette & Ted friendship, and Keegan's showing signs he's not the irredeemable scrote he first appeared to be. Make sure you do something decent with Keanu. And give Karen the opportunity to bounce off as many of the square's residents as possible. Which means keeping her in the launderette.
And finally, remember that whilst the big events may draw in more viewers, what matters more are the smaller things. The character moments. The bits that are just a bit of fun, that add colour to the show. If you have strong characters, doing things that fit with them, it doesn't matter if it's something epic. Some of the best moments in the show have just been two characters talking. EastEnders is about ordinary East End folk getting on with their lives. That's when it's at its strongest.
